Colliding Interests-More Kingdom Hearts!

Post time compression/Meteorfall, the FF7 and FF8 worlds end up joined together, FF5 style.

Squall plus two teammates (Quistis? Zell?) are deposited quite far from home due to time/space shenanigans, and are soon happened upon by Cloud and the gang, who are all out searching for clues to what happened to their world.

Both groups are wary of the other: these are groups of combatants they have never seen before, looking ready to fight.

Reacting to one another's hostility (and a badly timed comment from Zell), the groups end up fighting.

It doesn't take too long for one of the FF7 gang to pull out a limit break, and it hits hard – harder than it should have. Squall does a quick mental count, and realizes that while his GF's are all accounted for, his magic has been severely depleted (due to the fight with Ultimecia or the following time compression, he doesn't know).

So of course he does the natural thing: he draws magic from his enemies. Unsurprisingly, they've got some good spells on them, and Squall starts drawing it to himself in between clashes.

At one point, he draws some cure magic from Cloud, and casts it on Quistis, the main recipient from that last major attack.

Cloud stops, confused. What just happened? Did... Did that guy just. Steal magic from him, somehow? He doesn't feel drained, or tired, or like he can't cast himself, but there's a niggling feeling of violation, somehow – how was he able to take his magic like that?? So rude?!

Meanwhile, Squall is building up a power boost from extracting and junctioning some powerful magic to himself. Healing magic for his endurance, some meteor-like spell for a boost to his magic, and Ultima to strengthen his attacks.

It takes some time, especially since he has to stop to heal so often from the frequent power moves these people seem to be able to access despite looking far from death's door. It gets easier the more magic he draws, though, and he can tell it's the same for his teammates.

It takes a while before Cloud picks up on it, but when he does, it's obvious: this guy is very noticeably gaining strength as he goes on stealing Cloud's magic, and Cloud doesn't like that at all.

He needs to end this, fast, so he tanks a few hits in order to unleash a Climhazzard, hopefully taking the guy out in one go. And if not, he knows he can probably tank one of whatever power move the guy can dish out after

And dish out he does; despite looking like he's on his last legs, his stormy grey eyes are filled with determination as he unleashes a devastating rush of attacks upon him with that strange blade of his, finishing with an energy blast that Cloud barely dodges, and that carves a long line of destruction im the ground across the entire battlefield.

Cloud sighs in relief, preparing to knock the guy out now that he's expended his power, but to his surprise he spots the guy preparing the same move again, which shouldn't be possible.

His surprise costs him a few hits, but it's enough for him to gather himself for a counter attack: if Climhazzard wasn't enough he'll have to pull out his strongest attack.

He's not the only one changing tactics though – there is no giant beam of light following the punishing rush of strikes this time. Instead Cloud finds himself locked in a duel with an opponent that matches his Omnistrike blow for blow, strike for strike

At the end of the sequence, they pull apart, both retreating to a safer distance to breathe. Cloud meets his opponents calculating eyes, and starts planning his next move. What will the guy do? Stop to heal? Throw out some magic while at distance? Pull out yet another finishing move, seeing as he has apparently no issue doing several in a row?

He doesn't get far in his planning; a shout of "Commander!" stops the other man in his tracks where he'd begun his approach towards Cloud again. A shout of his own name soon follows – it's Tifa, and she sounds a little exasperated, as if it's not the first time she's tried to get his attention.

Turns out that while he was fighting this commander, she'd been trading blows with the rival group's resident martial artist; a talkative fellow she managed to speak to long enough between bouts to trade explanations and negotiate a truce.

She'd quickly relied it to the rest of the group, narrowly saving Barret from getting torched by another round of fire spat out by the whip lady, but Cloud and their commander were both so immersed in their duel that no one could get to them.

Seeing as they all carried several tufts of Phoenix Down, the rest of them decided to let the pair of them finish up, or at least see if there would be a lull in the fighting for long enough to reach them before anyone was knocked out.

Cloud feels kinda miffed that they were prepared to let him or the other guy – of course, most likely the other guy, there's no way Cloud couldn't take him on no matter how long the battle dragged out – get knocked out for convenience instead of interfering, but right now he's more interested in whatever potions Tifa may have on her, seeing as his magic reserves are quite depleted after the intense fighting

Before she can answer him, though, he hears someone beside him telling him "No need, I've got this", before the familiar wash of healing magic soothes away his scrapes and exhaustion.

Blinking his eyes up at the guy he'd just been fighting – whom it turns out is quite a lot taller than him, which is slightly annoying – Cloud realized the guy has once again somehow pulled out a healing spell from Cloud himself, before casting it back on him, something that feels both impossible, and still somehow rude.

He doesn't let it get to him though, just nods his thanks before stepping back to let Tifa and Barret handle the upcoming talks and explanations.

He can't help but notice those grey eyes – no longer stormy, but determined still – follow him even as the man discusses their situation with the other two.